The Glitch in Sleep

The Seems #1

by Michael Wexler, John Hulme

Twelve-year-old Becker Drane has definitely got the coolest job of any seventh grader in Highland Park, New Jersey. He works as a Fixer for The Seems. From the Department of Weather to the Department of Sleep, The Seems is a secret organization that makes sure our world keeps running-and more importantly, sticks to The Plan that's been made for it. When a Glitch is reported in the Department of Sleep, Becker is dispatched to Fix it, but he's not so sure this is a routine mission. Could the Bed Bugs, who are behind our Worst Nightmares, be responsible for the problem? Or maybe it's The Tide, an underground organization bent on destroying The Seems? No matter what, Becker's in for quite an adventure, and it'll take all his training, a little luck, and the coolest Tools™ known in (or out of) The Seems to Fix the problem.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure

274 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2007

Reviews

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered how the world works? What I'm about to tell you is top-secret information. Underneath everything in the world - every Twist of Fate, every New Idea, every night's Sleep - is an organization known as "The Seems." The Seems is run like a corporation - there are departments, there are hierarchies, there are manufacturing assembly lines. And Becker Drane has been recruited to work for The Seems as a Fixer.
There are only 37 Fixers, and they are highly trained to deal with any problem in any department in The Seems. They deal with Blunders, Blips, and Bleeps using their Briefer-assistants and tools such as Transport Goggles, Trouble Gum, and "Those Things That Look a Lot Like Tweezers That You Cut Wires With."
Becker was just promoted to Fixer and now he has to deal with the most dreaded of Fixer-challenges: A Glitch. This Glitch is wreaking havoc in the Department of Sleep which has caused a backup in the delivery of sleep and thus, everyone in the world has a case of insomnia. This could interfere with the carefully planned Chains of Events which could in turn case a Ripple Effect, destroying the Fabric of Reality.
The story is engaging, with fun secondary characters and a neat, original mythology for the world. I was slightly uncomfortable with the idea of the world being run by a corporately-structured organization, but I think kids will find this entertaining and fun.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

I had to sign some kind of form at the front of this book before reading it, so I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you any of this…but here goes.

Imagine that The World we know is constructed somewhere else. The sunset is painted daily, the world’s rain is regulated through a huge water tank, and a Good Night’s Sleep is packaged, processed, and sent to you nightly, with a specially built dream enclosed just for you. Beyond the In-Between, every detail of the world is carefully fashioned by workers in The Seems.

When Becker Drane was nine years old, he filled out an application for “The Best Job in the World” on a lark. Three years later, he’s a newly promoted Fixer for The Seems eagerly awaiting his first mission. However, the one he receives is tougher than most—to fix a Glitch that is ravaging the Department of Sleep.

The World is in peril as The Chain of Events that depends on the delivery of the night’s dreams grows in danger of slipping. Becker must use all of his skills and training to find the Glitch before a Ripple Effect occurs, undoing all of the careful work of The Seems and ripping the very Fabric of Reality away.

Humorous and exciting, this first book left me eager for more from this new series, and you can be sure I’ll be reading the rest.

As long as I can get past the red tape next time…

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Идея си нямам кога и как съм си отбелязал тази книжка за четене (е, явно е било преди две години на рожденият ми ден, но убийте ме ако си спомням нещо).
Книжлето е супер сладурско.
Бекър Дрейн е петокласник, който на шега кандидатства за "Най-яката работа в света", месеци по-късно получава одобрение и попада в Сиймс (не знам как точно да го преведа) - паралелна вселена в която огромна корпорация се грижи неща като залези, сън и прочие да се случват при нас според "Планът". За две години, без клишето с цялото обучение, Бекър успява да се издигне до ранга на Фиксър (поправяч?) и да поеме първата си мисия. А тя е Глич в Сън. Тук Глич е не само изненадваща грешка в системата на Сиймс, но и жива малка гад, която върви из отделите и прави поръзии. Бекър, с помощта на приятели, колеги и собствения си помощник ще се впусне в лудо преследване.

Екшанът е с кофи, хуморът също, а вселената е доволно шантава. Единствено не ми хареса, че познанията за нашия свят, които авторите предават на младите читатели са леко проблемни. Неща като времеви пояси, езици в Европа и туй-онуй друго са доста по американски объркани. Имаше и няколко типично холивудаки изцепки, които няма да коментирам.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Becker Drane didn’t know what he was doing when he applied for the Best Job in the World, but when he was picked to train to be a Fixer, it changed everything. See, the World doesn’t just run itself. It is organized, programmed, and tended to by the inhabitants of the Seems. Seemsians regulate rainfall, dream sequences, weather patterns—you name it, it’s organized by Seemsians. And every now and then something breaks down, and they have to bring in a Fixer to fix it. Fixers can only come from the World, and they train long and hard to be ready to Fix.

Becker Drane, newly promoted to Fixer, never expected his first mission to be a Glitch in Sleep. Glitches are the most deadly form of mixup—and if Becker can’t Fix this one before dawn, the whole of the Master Plan will be thrown off.

This book will appeal to Artemis Fowl fans—kids who like hi-tech kid adventures. For those of us who are a little more grown up, this book feels a little silly and a lot unrealistic. The kids don’t act like kids, the adults don’t act like adults, and both the problems and solutions feel a little cheesy and cliché.

Not that fantasy needs to be realistic—but at the very least, it should feel grounded in something. The Seems feels like it’s grounded in a lot of silly jokes. I know that some kids will like this series, but I won’t be going back for the next book.

[Andrés Becerra Opazo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo habia pausado en Marzo del 2015.
Y me arrepiento fijate. Es una historia buena, para pasar el rato y no aburre para nada, aunque sea una lectura para pre adolescentes.
Es un libro que te saca más de una carcajada, una lástima que la editorial haya decidido tan solo sacar los dos primeros. Pero bueno, si me quedo con las ganas de más luego de leer el segundo. Me leo los otros en inglés.
Me gustó muchisimo como los autores crean ese mundo de los SEEMS.
Y sobre todo esos 3 Apendices que te dejan al final de la historia en donde te dejan claro algunas palabras que no entendiste o incluso te muestran los instrumentos que usan.
Un libro bueno y que recomiendo leer ya que estaba baratisimo en la FILSA.
¿Porque 3 de 5 estrellas?
Porque era para un publico más menor, aunque me entretuvo bastante, no sentí como ese BOOM dentro de mí y querer devorarlo y terminarlo enseguida. Lo leí con calma y disfruté y reí con cada escena.

3/5 estrellitas

[Samantha Eve Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loaned to me by one of my fabulous students, I had a blast reading this book. (I can't wait until she loans me the next two in the series.) Falling under a genre I like to think of as "fun and cute scifi/fantasy," this particular book reminded me to believe in the things which cannot be easily seen. The humor is along the lines of Piers Anthony (punny but without being quite as over-the-top slapstick), and the feel good ending made me smile on a rainy day. I highly recommend this book for those, who like me, choose to never grow up. When in doubt, trust in THE PLAN, and remember that although life isn't always as it seems, it is always as those in the THE SEEMS intend it to be.

[VexenReplica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I read this nearly ten years ago when I was in middle school. For /r/fantasy's book bingo, one of the squares is "Second Chances." I dropped reading book three sometime in late middle school or early high school, so that is what will qualify me for the square. I am rereading the first two in the series as a refresher because it's been ten years, lol.

Did not age well, unfortunately. Lots of older weird references, cringe texting, and I think google-translated sentences.
Story was coherent and characters were alright, although I have issues in some characters' believability. I get looking up to someone older than you. I do not believe that at age 12 you would necessarily be romantically attracted to them AND they would not flick you off. (main female lead is in her twenties, as a reference)
The worldbuilding was the best stuff in here. I really liked the feel of the Seems and how it worked. It seemed (heh) expansive and full of detail even if the characters did not go to every place mentioned. It really helped set the groundwork for the world and made it seem like there was a show behind the mirror. I remember younger me really liking this.
Something I noticed on the reread with 10 years more experience in the World is that the book has an awful lot of philosophy and "deeper than normal" content (like references to Plato's Shadows on the Wall and Zeno). There's also (amusingly or perhaps not, depending on your chosen field in life) an NDA at the beginning of the book. Like, who puts an NDA at the beginning of a kid's book?! I'm pretty sure these wooshed over my head reading this as a kid, but like, it's not all popcorn and candy (although 97% of it is). I don't think anything is lost without knowing these references, but... it's really interesting to see what's added or what I missed as a kid.
If you have a problem with Capitalized Ideas this book is not going to be for you.
I am hesitantly looking forward to the second and third books in the series. Good thing is that they're middle grade and they're short and quick reads.
I don't remember if this is this series or another one, but there was something really uncomfortable with a character's replica. I hadn't thought of this in years, but... I'm kinda hoping I'm misrememebering and it's not in this series. Because YIKES.

[Karan Bhakta · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book if you are into adventure and science fiction. There is also a series so if you like the first one you can read the rest.

[JoJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread: 12/13/2024

First time listening to the audiobook, because my boss is listening to it since I told her this is my favorite book ever. Holds up in my mind, obviously, though I feel like this works as an audiobook only because I know the ins and outs of it so well. So many of its unique formatting and grammar choices are lost, and with them, the world-building.

Still don’t quite understand how the timing of this book works—like does Dawn arrive when the first time zone turns to the next day? I want an annotated timeline clarifying the logic in detail and access to John and Michael’s world-building doc, just like generally.

~~~

Given the new year and my recent birthday, I knew I wanted to reread a few "oldies but goodies" for old time's sake. Scanning my overflowing bookshelves, I spied this gem, and even if I hadn't known it then, picking up "The Glitch in Sleep" again was always part of the Plan.

To this day, I still maintain that this is one of the most creative books I've ever read, yet it never strays so far that it becomes ridiculous. The inventive world of the Seems and the way the World is portrayed as something precious and magical makes the reader look at theirs in a different light.

"The Glitch in Sleep" had me fighting Sleep to finish it, but as it became more apparent than pulling an all-nighter was not part of the Plan, I stopped for the night and flipped my pillows over to the Cool side.

I sincerely hope that these fantastic authors will continue the series with a fourth book, because this world (the Seems) has so much more to give.

[Alison Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because of the cleaver puns. It reminded me of 'The Phantom Tollbooth' with it's turning cliches into literal objects. "Time Bomb" for instance, really is a bomb, and "Bed Bugs" are people who invent nightmares.

Some reviewers commented that Becker did not act like a kid. That is true. He did not at all! He was a pint-sized James Bond and it bothered me a little, but I give a lot more leeway to kids books than I do adult books. I think kids like to read books about kids smarter than themselves. Plus once you let that go, it is very entertaining.

It also started out a little slow and I think it also ended slow, with maybe too many wrap ups.

A note, I listened to it partially on audiobook and I did not like the narrator (Oliver Wyman) who sounds like the voice over for insurance commercials. He has a bouncy voice, that makes me feel like I'm being sold something instead of being entertained. I have encountered him before in audiobooks and he annoys me.

I will be looking for the second book, but not with a fever. I think my kids will like this one a lot once they get around age 10 or so.

A warning for parents, there are some very minor language issues. He says "pissed off" and "Son of a glitch" also there is a scene within a bar where adults drink. Some parents might care about that, I personally didn't mind it.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book -- quite imaginative, where the world is controlled not by nature but by another world altogether -- the world of Seems. They have departments for everything, Weather, Time, Sleep etc... and when something goes wrong they call in the Fixers, a group of folks from earth that have the 7th sense to find the problem and fix it before anymore disasters strike. Twelve-year-old Becker Drane because the youngest fixer in Seems history and his first assignment is to find a glitch in the Sleep Department as everyone in the world can't sleep. But, have you ever read a book that sometimes there is just too much stuff crammed at you that after awhile it stops feeling clever and starts becoming annoying...well that's how I felt with this book. I may read the sequels, we'll see.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Becker Drane is 12 years old and a "fixer" in The Seems - an alternate world that controls much of our world's daily function. Becker's first offical mission is to fix a glitch in sleep, that could threaten The World as people know it.

While this was an entertaining book, it's not one I'll be raving about - not because it was bad (it wasn't) but it just didn't connect with me personally. Possibly because I couldn't tell if it was Sci-Fi or Fantasy (and it kept bothering me) and possibly because it reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what (Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff? May Bird?)

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for an introduction to sci-fi. If you've already read a bunch and love the genre, there are better books. 12 year old Becker Drane who thinks he's an average joe, gets invited to a whole new world where he's the man to fix the problem, as a fixer. I would recommend this book to advanced 5th -8th graders (especially boys) who are just being introduced to sci-fi as a possible interest. I think the series will only get better from this one as Drane goes on many more missions, and I hope there's more. Alex Rider or James Bond comparisons anyone? I really enjoyed the book and the premise.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think middle schoolers will enjoy this book but I found it disappointing. I think my trouble was that I never could buy the premise. It was just too improbable for me to go along with completely. The idea of the Seems - behind our world manipulators of everything from weather to sleep - was too unlikely, and a 12 year old assigned to fix the vast and complicated problems too much of a stretch. 12 year olds will probably like it though!

[Luann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay. Good for teaching figurative language to kids, but that was a way over done. I am sure I missed a lot and I know kids would. I'm not into sci-fi, but wanted to give it a shot. I'm not sure I would even recommend it to my good readers at school.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a very well realized story of a team of universal repairmen whose mission it is to keep the world running smoothly. The humor comes from a lot of double-entendres and the fantastic way the world really works.

[Monica Edinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun. Should have gotten more attention when it came out. Just read the sequel and it is great fun too.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author was trying too hard to be clever. I had no reason to care about the story because the characters were so flat.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is really, really bad. Poor HP! I only read it because it was set in my hometown, and then it make HP bad.

[Brady K]

In this book it tells the story of a young new fixer by the name of Becker Drain going on his first mission. What is a fixer? A fixer is a person from earth that has the job of helping when anything goes wrong. The seems is a place away from earth separated by reality itself and is kinda like a corporation that runs the earth. For example there is a branch of the seems that is specifically there to make nature and there's a branch for food and so on. But even though it seems to be a very professional and organized company, things can and will go wrong and that is where the fixers come in. When something goes wrong in the seems they call in one of there thirty seven fixers and they come in and utilizing a number of gadgets and tools they fix whatever is broken in the seems. But before Becker can become a fixer he needs to go through lots of training and he also needs to prove himself as a briefer. A briefer is the right hand man of the fixer so when a fixer finally gets on the scene the briefer briefs the fixer on the situation and also hepps by recommending tools for the fixer to use. After going through training and becoming a briefer Becker is on a mission with one Casey Lake, a legend in the fixer and briefer community; he is on a mission to help assist his fixer in fixing the world's rain because for some reason no rain is coming out. After getting to the water tower he meets up with Casey and they jump down into the water tower to find the problem. After they located the problem (which was a giant cork stopping the rain from flooring) they began to pull it off. But after a bottle falls out from inside the cork he picks it up to see what it was. And it was a Trap and the second he opened the bottle the cork exploded knocking out the fixer cold. Seeing what he had done he proceeded to try and fix the problem himself. And after that he got promoted to fixer for showing courage and the skills to fix. After being promoted he waits for him to get his first mission and after a long while he gets his chance and it's a big one. He has to fix a glitch in the sleep branch in the seems. Which has not happened for a very long time so all eyes are on him to save the day. Getting to sleep he starts the hunt with his briefer and starts searching but after a long while and nothing to show for it he gets desperate and goes to a rough part of sleep and finds an old friend that he thought was dead. Altho he got to see his friend there was bad news to come with it: his friend had joined the tides. A rival group that is trying to take control over the seems. But as an old friend sends off his friend gives him a hint on where the glitch is and he takes it and goes. After going to the place his friend pointed out he goes and it slips away. But worst of all he accidentally breaks a rule and almost loses his job. When he takes out a drop of hope and hopes for a clue to fix the glitch. And he gets what he )hoped for. Finding the glitch in the master bedroom (where sleep is made) he fights with the glitch and finally takes it down. I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone. It's a very fun read!

[Blake Ingvall]

Title: The Seems: the glitch in sleep Pages 249
Author: John Hulme and Michael Wexler Publisher Gideon Kendall
Genre: Science Fiction ISBN 9781599901299 Price $16.95

Give a summary of the book- without giving away the ending.
The main character in the book, “The Seems” by John Hulme and Michael Wexler is a twelve year old boy named Becker Drane. When the Department of Sleep gets attacked by a glitch, Becker is called in to be the fixer. The Seems is just like our world, it is a parallel universe that provides us with materials that allows us to keep going. It provides everything our world might need. So, when something like a glitch occurs, a team of professionals are called to fix the glitch. If the problems are not taken care of in a certain time the glitch will affect our world. A young seemsian named Simly Frye helps Becker on his mission to fix the glitch. Simly Frye was very important because he had a seventh sense that allowed him to tell if something wrong was happening in The Seems. In the end you will find out if Becker is able to fix the problem before it’s too………...early?

Check one: Explain why you selected the description you did and
I loved this book! why you rated the book the way you did.
I enjoyed this book. The main reason I did not enjoy the book “The
I did not enjoy this book. Seems”, is because of the genre. I am not a fan of
I abandoned this book. Science Fiction books, they never really want to
✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ make me keep reading. I, myself prefer to read
Fiction books that inform about sports.
Who would you recommend this book to and why?
I would recommend the book “The Seems”, to If you liked …
people who are interested in our world and ➔ 5th Wave
other dimensions. I believe people interested ➔ Ender’s Game in these topics would love this book, because ➔ The Chronicles of Dragon
the book focuses on those topics on every page. ...then you might like this book, too!

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this over 15 years ago, and it came to mind when I read Return to Sender, since both of them have a secret place in which chance events in the regular world are controlled or influenced. (Like Olivia Kidney, and also like You Wish.)

I loved the opening of this story, when a precocious kid applies for a job that is listed on a board at a cafe, shows up at a door in a nondescript alley for the interview as specified with goggles and a few other objects, and is popped through a portal to a different dimension...whereupon he is immediately hired to be a Fixer in this mysterious realm that controls amorphous things like weather, dreams, and I can't remember what else.

The kid's job is similar to a plumber's or electrician's, if the broken pipes and loose wires were connected to the planet. I do remember that quite a bit of the book reads a little like an office/company story, in which petty office politics are frustrating the people who really love their jobs and want to keep busy doing good work - BUT I may have misremembered it.

It looks like someone wanted to make this into a movie. If they do it, please let it honor viewers the same way this one honors readers; as ethical, hardworking, competent, "fixers" of global problems.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what makes the world go round? where the colors come from in a sunset? or why you can't fall asleep? Becker Drane is the youngest agent to be hired at The Seems. When something goes wrong in the world, he steps in behind the scenes to help. With a can-do attitude, he's able to move past his past griefs and become good at what he does. In fact, he starts out as a Briefer, assisting the Fixers, and moves up to Fixer after a couple of years. Now that he's finally ready to take on his first case, it lands in his lap one night when he can't sleep. In fact, no one in the world can sleep! If Drane and his Briefer can't figure out how to fix the Glitch in sleep, a ripple effect will occur--affecting everything that The Seems has worked tirelessly to create and hold together.

I quite enjoyed this story. It had an interesting plot, likeable characters, a bit of humor, a bit of grieving, and a positive message. The audiobook narrator did a nice job as well. This came across quite a bit like The Phantom Tollbooth, with pun-tastic and witty names for places, people, experiences, etc. The book has great art, and it ends with several useful glossaries, a quiz, and other follow-up information. It definitely works just fine by itself... but then you're left wondering why The Seems has so many problems and what The Tide intends to do to correct that issue.

[Raziel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep by John Holme and Michael Wexler is a story about a kid, Beaker Drane, who lives in town. He has a normal life with his family and his brother. But has a secret job in a different world, A world that controls everything on earth. He has a partner in this different world. This novel is a compelling and entertaining because it shows the tools they use and how the tools work. It also shows how they fix the technology in this different world. For example, halfway though the story, the main character, Beaker Drane, says that there was a girl who couldn’t sleep because her dreams weren’t shipped which leads to Beaker Drane to have a mission within a mission, which means he has to fix the sleep department and help the girl who isn’t sleeping but crying. If you enjoy a heartwarming and compelling book, then you will love The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep because it talks about how a 10 year old boy, Beaker Drane, saved the world and help a little girl sleep.

[Heather-Lin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it's an interesting world and an interesting idea, several things didn't work for me.

As usual, our main protagonist, a 12 year old boy, is almost unfailingly brave, clever, competent, and ultimately successful. I'm not sure why so many authors think fantasy wish fulfillment is better than something more relatable and therefore ultimately empowering.

It wasn't very funny, even when it tried to be.

The friendships and relationships weren't very emotional, and a lot of potential was squandered here.

I finally lost patience in as we approached the climactic confrontation, where some very minor vulgarities just irritated me. Sure, they're chasing a Glitch, but to yell out "you son of a glitch" is the kind of lame ham handed stuff that ruins a lot of kids entertainment for me.

I vastly prefer and highly recommend these middle grade books instead: Sal and Gabby Save/Break The Universe and the Morrigan Crow series Nevermoor.

[Remi Yang]

i have this like fever dream of reading this and the entire series when i was younger and i just spiralled on wikipedia slowly remembering the plot
it’s actually kind of crazy how many people die in these books but like top 4 weird things i remember from this series:
- the mc filling out an application for shits and giggles and getting in
- him trying to predict rock paper scissors and then loses and the guy who wins dies (i promise this makes sense)
- mc dying and finding the last guy they never found in the desert and going “oh looks like i’m dead too oh well lmao”
- the whole world is run by a super corporation (very scary to think of) but the last book being titled the lost train of thought or something like that is so incredibly clever

yeah this is pretty much the equivalent of me remembering random stuff about the voyage to magical north/the journey to dragon island and various other childhood books

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hulme, John and Michael Wexler The Glitch in Sleep, 254 p. Bloomsbury, 2007.

At the tender age of nine, Becker Drane unknowingly applied for a job with The Seems, the behind the scene peoples who take care of everything that we of The World take for granted. After an apprenticeship, intensive training and some time as a Briefer, Drane has worked his way up to Fixer, the most important job of all of the Seems. But his first job may also be his last, as he is called upon to fix a Glitch - and not just any Glitch, but one in Sleep. If Becker can't find the Glitch, then the World will go into a Ripple Effect, causing upheavals and problems and conflicts that may never be resolved.

A perfect bit of highly entertaining fantasy that you need right now!

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2007/...

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As is inevitable, the first Seems book is probably the best. This weird middle-grade series has one of the more interesting cosmologies I’ve seen. There is a world called the Seems, where they are managing stuff like sunsets and people’s lives and playing our world like a game of Seems. Makes more sense than young-earth creationism.

The main guy, Becker Drane, is the perfect protagonist for kids reading this to insert themselves in. He is the youngest Fixer, a human working with the Seems to fix problems in our world’s structure, and he is very professional for a kid. His first adventure has a great sense of wonder and really picks at the idea of sleep. During my sleepless moments, I imagined sleep working like in this book.

[Kira Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a really cool concept but it was strange in writing style. The little notations were strange and sometimes confusing. I would get to the end of the page, see them, and instantly have to go look for the spot it was referring to. I also sometimes got confused trying to remember what numbers went where and with what person and what tools did what. Once I moved past that though I really enjoyed the book and am eager to read the sequel.

[Janet Hamm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Becker Drane becomes a Briefer in the Seems - the world-behind-our-world, responsible for everything we see and experience in our world - by taking an aptitude test, reminiscent of The Mysterious Benedict Society. But whereas I loved the latter, this book is too full of characters, puns and frenetic action for me to love it. I think middle-school boys might, though.